Meet your new reviews editor!

Lee Hutchinson, "pokrface" on the OpenForum, has entered the Orbiting HQ.

Even though Ars has bid farewell to Open Source Editor Ryan Paul, the news isn't all glum; after a grueling interview process which started with a no-holds-barred cage fight against a shirtless Eric Bangeman (editor's note: Lee lost) and concluded with a best-of-seven Battleship tournament against Ken Fisher in a holocaust cloak and white makeup, I am happy to announce that I've joined the Ars Technica staff as the new reviews editor!

What is a reviews editor? Nominally, I'll be overseeing the writing and editing of all of Ars's non-Apple product reviews—hardware and also a lot of software, too. Ars has an outstanding Apple team headed by Jacqui Cheng and awesome gaming coverage with Kyle Orland, and that won't change, but I'll be helping to fill out the Ars staff by focusing on reviewing gadgets and gizmos—Android phones, tablets, Ultrabooks, and all the other things that we need to survive in our crazy post-PC world.

A lot of you guys know me as "pokrface" on the Ars OpenForum, where I've posted for more than twelve years and watched Ars grow from a small enthusiast site writing Celeron overclocking guides into the smoothly functioning tech juggernaut we've become. I've got a long history in IT, and in fact my first job out of college was at an Internet startup company (which will forever remain nameless) where I got to deal with some of the most malformed help desk tickets in the entire universe—so malformed, in fact, that I created a website to highlight their insanity: The Chronicles of George. The site gained me a lot of Internet fame, including a few radio appearances and some shout-outs on TechTV, but sadly, no fortune.

I left that job and went to work at The Boeing Company here in Houston, first as a desktop support tech, and eventually working my way up through system administration, enterprise storage, and enterprise architecture. It was an awesome job to have, and I got to see and do amazing stuff with amazing gear, sometimes at tremendous scale. In 2010 I left Boeing to go work for EMC Corporation, purveyors of enterprise storage systems large and small, where I worked as a presales engineer (otherwise known as "guy who gets customers drunk and then convinces them to buy lots of stuff"), and in 2011 I changed jobs again to fill a similar role in the large enterprise sales organization of Symantec, where I specialized in their data center products.

I've got a lot of hands-on time with a lot of different types of systems. On the desktop, I'm equally comfortable with Windows, Linux, and OS X, and though I've used OS X at home for the past several years, my heart truly lives in the command line. In between reviews, I'll be writing for other areas of the site as needed; I'm also a die-hard flame-flinging PC gamer, and when possible I hope to contribute the occasional PC-centric gaming story, because PCs rule and consoles suck. HOLLA!

In all seriousness, switching sides of the screen and going from reader to editor is a big career shift for me, but the outstanding team at Ars makes it feel less like a job change and more like coming home to a comfortable house filled with friends and family. Ken and I have had a number of meetings to talk about the direction we're going to be taking review coverage, and I can tell you that we have some great things in store over the next several months. I'm thrilled to be here, and I'm even more thrilled to be able to open a dialog with all of you about reviews at Ars! We're going to be turning the crank on tablet and smartphone coverage, but what else do you want to see? What can we write about that will keep you coming back for more?

I'm looking forward to reading your comments, and I'm excited about the future. This is going to be fun!

So this announcement means that Ryan's Ubuntu coverage will be replaced by Android coverage and all other FOSS project will stay neglected? Or will ẃe finally get Ars-worthy coverage of Xfce, Plasma Active,and so on?

Ahem. You are no loner welcome in the MacAch, young man. <ironfistmoderation>

Congratulations on the new position! I've really enjoyed the articles you've written for Ars (even though many have been over my head -- I've still learned a lot) so I'm excited to see what your editorial eye brings to Ars' reviews.

So this announcement means that Ryan's Ubuntu coverage will be replaced by Android coverage and all other FOSS project will stay neglected? Or will ẃe finally get Ars-worthy coverage of Xfce, Plasma Active,and so on?

What exactly are you looking for in terms of coverage? There is a thread here viewtopic.php?f=31&t=1109263&start=200 for exactly that. Lee is perfectly capable of producing top notch coverage on any topic of interest to systems administrators. Worst comes to worst, if Ars won't cover it, you can ping me, and I can try doing some work on it over at The Register.

I don't think you're going to see anything "neglected." I think you just need to ask in the right venues.

Let me be the first to say I am disgusted by the continuous decline of this web site from godly perfection to an appalling, um, something that is real bad ok. Also your iAAPL bias is obvious and hurts my sensitive places.

though I've used OS X at home for the past several years, my heart truly lives in the command line

So... even the "Open Source" editors must be iFans? Is that a prerequisite to work at Conde Nast?

Ars posted an honest article yesterday, that did not say the iPhone5 "re-invented ice & Kool-Aid"... but, was by-lined "Ars Staff". No staff was willing to put their name to an article that did not bless Apple, even if it was the truth. Now, it shows that Apple-Love is required to work here? Has Ars eliminated even the last semblance of objectivity?

I don't know about objectivity, but I do know that Apple's new iPhone 5 is definitely the biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone. Have you even SEEN its thinner, lighter design, or its 4-inch Retina display?! It doesn't seem possible! Not to mention its ultrafast wireless and its powerful A6 chip!

Still, though, I can see where you're coming from. It's like, sometimes people only do things because they get paid, and that's just sad.

though I've used OS X at home for the past several years, my heart truly lives in the command line

So... even the "Open Source" editors must be iFans? Is that a prerequisite to work at Conde Nast?

Ars posted an honest article yesterday, that did not say the iPhone5 "re-invented ice & Kool-Aid"... but, was by-lined "Ars Staff". No staff was willing to put their name to an article that did not bless Apple, even if it was the truth. Now, it shows that Apple-Love is required to work here? Has Ars eliminated even the last semblance of objectivity?

Creaking, groaning sound as a small wooden soapbox is dragged unceremoniously across the room.

*ahem*

Okay, Arsians, listen up here. I have some bitching to do. I am sick and tired of this "Apple shill" meme that goes on around here. Now, I want to get my own creds for this bitch-fest out of the way. I am an Apple-agnostic, bordering on Apple hater. I prefer Android to iOS in use, but I am forced to support both in practice. I have Apple-in-the-enterprise clients, as well as Apple devices at home. (All donated or salvage, I use it to keep my hand in the OS, since I have to support it commercially.)

I have my own blog at The Register, as well as a personal one that gets enough hits for Google to consider it "news." (“The algorithm” got into the vodka…) I have recently moved into the realm of analyst/consultant for some silicon valley startups, so I think I've got bases from "writer" to "end user" through "sysadmin" and "strategic/tactical IT planning" covered. This isn’t an attempt to toot my own horn here, but a request that you consider the following gripefest in context.

Owning and using Apple products does not make you a shill, nor does it make you a fanbo(y/i).

There are many reasons to use a product. In my case, I use Apple because it comes with the job. Apple is one of the largest technology companies on Earth. Knowing what they have is an important part of being able to objectively answer questions related to them.

Some people do indeed feel Apple produces the best widget for the job. If – as Lee states – you feel most at home on the command line, it is hard to escape the fact that Apple offers the most popular *nix client operating system available. (Consider the fact that every single NASA video is a goddamned Apple advertisement!) When your world is *nix, OSX is a great client OS in ways that Windows just can’t be. That isn’t a bash against Windows. It is simply using a Phillips screw driver on a Phillips screw instead of trying to make a flathead do the job.

In the context of “this is a tech magazine,” consider also that Apple is also hugely popular. It is the largest consumer electronics company in the world. Even if Apple chooses to eschew the enterprise, this very consumer popularity is driving critical trends in our industry. They are a Big Deal in the tech world, whether we like it or not. (They are not yet a Big Deal in the enterprise, but this is changing.)

Apple drives page views. It also drives consumer electronics evolution through sheer largesse: while it is rarely on the frontiers of innovation, its adoption of various technologies often makes or breaks their long-term viability. Like it or not, Apple also has a knack for taking technologies and ideas that other people and companies create, fiddling with them, refining them and releasing them at the right time with the right marketing.

They move, shake and shape the IT industry in a unique way; occupying a niche of mindspace that no other company in this space ever has. Ars Technica, The Register, The Verge and all other notable tech magazines report on Apple; I argue that it is important they do so! Those of us whose job it is to look at the IT industry as a whole, make projections and recommend technologies for application need to know what’s going on. Unless your company is ridiculously over-resourced, you need good visibility of the future to prevent buying the wrong thing, or paying too much to get the job done.

Ars Technica isn’t an Apple-biased shill magazine

A comprehensive tech magazine is going to have to cover all sorts of topics; even Apple. Ars have really done a good job in the past year of moving away from the ardently pro-Apple editorial stance to a far more objective one. I used to be very upset with the pro-Apple tone of a lot of the articles, and one of the more vocal critics. I really don’t see that here much any more.

Ars Technica have really evolved into a magazine that “simply reports the events.” They have taken a credo of “don’t report first, report best” to places I don’t think our industry has enjoyed since the 70s heydays of tech rags. I feel they set a standard of quality writing and objectivity that I as a writer look up to as a guide for my own efforts.

They aren’t perfect; I really do wish that Ars would cover more enterprise tech. Storage, in-depth open source stuff, networking…systems administration write large. If I had my druthers, Ars Technica would have an SME-focused sysadmin writer, a “large-enterprise”-focused writer, and a 100% deep-dive open source writer. That’s a lot of bodies costing a lot of money; Ars may get there one day, but they aren’t quite there today.

Instead, Ars has people like Lee. From my interactions with him on Twitter, and delving into his post history, he seems like a good guy. Indeed; given that this fellow is essentially my direct competition for the very same readers, I am a little bit intimidated by the quality of some of his posts. What I haven’t seen is any evidence that he would treat Apple – or any other company – with anything other than as much objectivity as is reasonable to expect of an human.

Yes, Ars is going to report on Apple. Get over it. Apple’s the 800lb gorilla of the CE industry, and is slowly, but surely making inroads into the enterprise. If Ars didn’t cover Apple, they wouldn’t be doing their job. Given that Apple isn’t even Lee’s assigned task, I seriously doubt anyone needs to worry that his use of Apple products is going to cloud his judgement.

You have a say

You can argue the general balance of reporting is off if you want. You can even get into the relevant thread and make suggestions about what you’d like to see covered by Ars Technica. Eventually, Ars will offer up a survey article specifically designed to get your opinions and help them choose coverage for the future.

Have your say. Speak your piece. But don’t drag your own personal prejudices into judgement of people like Lee, or any other writer. Step back, look at things objectively. Judge the people as they are. Give Lee the benefit of the doubt and the chance to prove himself.

When in doubt, try making recommendations constructively regarding the coverage you’d like to see. Bitching will get tuned out with a “don’t listen to ‘those kinds’ of people.” A “please could you cover this” will end up on someone’s desk for honest consideration. That’s true whether you are talking about Ars Technica, The Register, The Verge or any of the big tech rags.

Consider also that writers are people too. Ask us – any of us at any of these publications – nicely. Our first duty is to the reader. Not the publication, not the advertisers; the reader. When our readers speak up and engage in civil discourse, we listen. I have no reason to doubt that Lee is any different.

Creaking sound as soapbox is dragged back into the corner.

And now, long-winded gripe over with: let’s get back to +1-ing Lee. Just for today, though. Because after that he’s the enemy, and I sort of glare at him menacingly and generally plot to kick his ass. Today is his day however, so let’s not ruin it, eh?

Lee Hutchinson / Lee is the Senior Reviews Editor at Ars and is responsible for the product news and reviews section. He also knows stuff about enterprise storage, security, and manned space flight. Lee is based in Houston, TX.